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A combination of superlative performance, high quality engineering and market beating prices have helped the DYSS X7 and X5 become the machines to reckon with in the digital cutter world.

UK sales of the DYSS models, supplied by AG/CAD Limited, have more than doubled in 2015 across a variety of market sectors including Packaging; POS/POP Display; Print, Sign and Graphics; as well as more specialised applications.

Durham Box, a leading independent supplier and manufacturer of corrugated Packaging in the UK, invested in a DYSS X5-1630 conveyorised digital cutter to satisfy its requirements for samples in terms of speed and quality, and for short run, die-less production.

Essex-based Cumberland Packaging upgraded its 12 year old sample table to a DYSS X7-1624, as part of its ongoing modernisation process, enabling thick stratocell foam and corrugated board short run production and sampling.

Bespoke presentation Packaging specialist Clarke Rubicon installed a DYSS X5-1310 Digital cutter to assist with production of its high quality “paper over board” products.

Midlands cardboard Packaging manufacturer N Smith’s new DYSS X5-1625 has vastly increased capacity and speed for its sample making as well as opening up potential for short runs.

Creative Cardboard Engineers 1st Impression Limited installed a DYSS X5-1310 to satisfy the precision and quality demands of its high calibre clients.

Direct Mail, Communications and Print experts DST Output, part of the global DST Systems Inc. group, purchased a DYSS X5-1310 to improve prototyping of its innovative solutions and for short run, as well as for cutting coatings blankets for offset.

In the Print, Sign and Graphics sector DYSS digital cutting machines were supplied alongside a variety of flatbed UV digital printers, confirming DYSS as the perfect cutting and finishing partner for direct to substrate digital print.

The UK’s leading POS/POP Printer Augustus Martin installed two DYSS X7 Digital Cutters. The investment included a Fully Automatic DYSS X7- 1630 Digital Die Cutting Machine that automatically loads from a stack of sheets printed on a high speed Inca Onset digital flatbed, cuts each sheet and then offloads the cut items onto a stack ready for shipping.

Award-winning design, print and installations provider Evolution Graphics of Northampton took delivery of a DYSS X7-1624 to service its Océ Arizona bringing all cutting and finishing in house.

Cardmasters, specialists in innovative cardboard engineering for POS and Direct Mail, acquired a DYSS X7-1624 for prototyping and short runs printed on its new Océ Arizona digital printer.

Cornish Exhibition, Print and Signage company Print2Media has DYSS X7-1624 with K-CUT Vision PRO. The DYSS finishes all the acrylic, dibond and correx jobs printed on a Fuji Acuity flatbed digital printer.

In Specialist markets Iberian Lighting has a DYSS X5-1630C for use in the production of bespoke and oversize lampshades for major retailers, restaurants and offices. The X5 is used to cut material from roll as well as rigid flat sheets.

London-based Cameo Photography has a DYSS X7-1630C greatly increasing speed and quality on all finishing for its specialised work.

AG/CAD Sales Director Andrew Boulton says “We have had a great year in 2015 across all market sectors. We see this as a reflection of the improving economy and confidence in the UK. Companies are also looking to diversify into other markets as well as upgrading and speeding up existing processes, and our combined machine and software solutions are key to this.”
“We see 2016 carrying on in the same way and we already have a number of large installations of DYSS Cutters scheduled for the New Year helping these new customers get a flying start in 2016.”
“We very much look forward to showing potential customers from all markets what our DYSS X5 and X7 range of cutters and our specialist software can do for them at our dedicated showroom in Cheshire.”

For more information and to arrange your demonstration in our presentation suite email us on info@agcad.co.uk, or call 01606 863344.

Stepping from the employed world to starting a print business can be a daunting prospect, but for Glenn Wrigley the ambition of moving from city life to the Cornish coast was all the incentive that was needed. Seven years after making the life changing decision to re-locate and conceive Print-2-Media, Mr Wrigley is reaping the rewards of his decision with the help of a DYSS X7-1624C digital cutting machine from AG/CAD.
Mr Wrigley relocated to Liskeard near Plymouth and started his business with a single Roland XC540 printer and just one customer. With extensive experience and a contact list from previous employment, the new business initially started by producing outdoor signage for agricultural events in the South West. This soon blossomed from signage for organisers of ‘events in fields’ to the show exhibitors. The rapidly expanding company has since acquired a series of Fuji, Roland and HP large format printers with a maximum print capacity of 1.5 by 3m.

Commenting upon the development of Print-2-Media, company founder Mr Wrigley says: “The business grew organically, but our location was somewhat restrictive to our growth ambitions. We employed a web designer and now over 60% of our business is conducted on-line via our website. This has transformed our business and only 20% of our work is for the local market with 80% of our work being distributed nationally to trade customers and re-sellers. The diversity of our printers enable us to print on all types of media, producing everything from stickers and posters through to PoS and shop signage.”

Multi Tool Head

The growth and increasing diversity of work at four employee Print-2-Media resulted in a surge in production of foamex, Di-bond and acrylic signage, which the company had difficulty cutting by hand. Whilst its vinyl cutting machine was suitable for posters and stickers, the company needed a more robust solution and immediately reviewed the CNC cutting table market. A full review of the various vendors resulted in the purchase of a DYSS X7-1642C with K-Cut vision system and KASEMAKE software from AG/CAD in February 2015. The results have been astonishing.

What has the DYSS brought to Cornwall?
With online business and the increasing diversity, Print-2-Media was either subcontracting the cutting work out to another company with a router or they were turning work away. The investment in the DYSS X7 has immediately eliminated the subcontracting costs, shortened lead-times and improved product quality. As Mr Wrigley continues: “We wanted to move into selling PoS products on-line and we couldn’t cut precision shapes or forms into our substrates and we couldn’t cut Di-bond and acrylic at all, so we knew we were limited by our cutting capability. The DYSS has immediately brought 20% growth to our business as we no longer turn work away. For example, we are currently producing mobile Di-bond photo booths for weddings for a customer in London, this would have previously been impossible. Additionally, we are cutting batches of 50 to 300 A4 foamex signs frequently, manual cutting would have been too time consuming. Similarly stickers in batches of 50 to 300 are jobs we do 2-3 times a week that would have taken 5 hours to cut by hand. This is now done in 20 minutes on the DYSS, saving upwards of 15 hours a week.”

Completed Sheet Being removed from DYSS Cutting Table

The DYSS has reduced outsourcing and its associated costs 100%, grown the business by 20% and in the few short months since its installation, the DYSS is already bringing in an additional £3,000 to £5000 of business each month. This increase is from work that would have previously been turned away.

But Why Buy the DYSS?
Whilst the benefits and impact of the DYSS are obvious, there were underlying aspects of the machine that made Print-2-Media choose the AG/CAD machine over its competitors. As Mr Wrigley continues: “First and foremost, AG/CAD were very receptive to our needs and instantly appeared knowledgeable and helpful. The features of the machine make it the best offering on the market when combined with the exceptional service and support we have received. Now, we wouldn’t look anywhere else if we needed another machine in the future.”

DYSS X7 Cutting Stickers at Print 2 Media

From a technology standpoint, Mr Wrigley says: “We informed AG/CAD that we wanted to cut everything from Di-bond and acrylic through to the production of our own corrugated card boxes to distribute our products. To this end, AG/CAD suggested the three tool station ‘Super Head’ with the capacity to accommodate routing, knife, creasing and kiss cut tools that would automatically be selected without manually changing over the tools. This enables us to use the router to create ‘location holes’ for the K-Cut Vision system if required. We can also use creasing wheels for producing our corrugated boxes. However, the K-Cut registration camera is outstanding and will pick up any pre-defined point and orientate the job according to the datum points, which we now print on all our jobs. This ensures every job is 100% accurate and free from operator error.”

Whilst the K-Cut Vision software and Super-Head tooling station were primary factors in the purchase of the DYSS machine, two key factors were the build quality and the KASEMAKE CAD suite. As Mr Wrigley recalls: “We looked at other machines and the build quality and rigidity of the DYSS really stood out for us. We instantly identified it as a high-quality machine. However, the KASEMAKE software was the defining selling point for us. As a package that is developed internally by AG/CAD, the company can support the software and work to our exact needs with its in-house software developers. We now use the KASEMAKE suite to design and produce our own boxes to deliver our products. This reduces the cost of buying boxes, eliminates the need for storing boxes, ensures every box is the correct size for the end product and above all, it makes our delivered end product more presentable.”

DYSS X7 Cutting Foamex at Print 2 Media

Moreover, as a company that produces outdoor signage for agricultural events, Print-2-Media has been making good use of the 3D-environment modelling software feature within KASEMAKE. What this has given Print-2-Media is the ability to mock-up exhibition stands for customers. By generating a full 3D graphic illustration of a customers’ concept with KASEMAKE, the potential customer can review their completed design on a PC prior to commencing the actual project. By enabling the prospective customer to visualise their concept, Print-2-Media has used this 3D-environment modelling feature as a useful sales tool to win new business and up-sell services to its customers.

In conclusion, Mr Wrigley says: “The DYSS was a big investment for our business, but a necessary one. It has helped us to expand our customer base and the type of work we do and the results in a short period since installation are evident. The DYSS has immediately grown our business by 20% and this will ensure the machine has a payback period in less than 2 years. We now wish we made the investment even sooner.”

As a company that has relocated to new facilities three times in the last four years, JCT Developments is witnessing extraordinary growth levels. Despite the relentless growth, the Hampshire company that specialises in large format digital advertising and retail print production, PoS signage and the respective fitting, has seen business expand by 30% over the last 12 months.

High Speed DYSS Cutting Head Processing Foamex Board

Recently conducting print & fitting projects for Audi & Ferrari at the Goodwood festival of speed as well as regularly supplying Pizza Hut, Halfords, Hobby Craft, M&S, Thornton’s, Puma and Prêt-A-Manger; the pedigree of the Ringwood company is unparalleled. To support its exponential growth the company has just invested in a DYSS X7 1630C digital cutting table from AG/CAD. Discussing why the company made the investment, JCT Managing Director, Mr Julian Turner says: “We have a series of flatbed digital printers that includes two Truepress W3200UV and a Jetrix KX7, plus four Mimaki roll-to-roll upright printers. Whilst our print capability is outstanding, our flat bed and vinyl cutting machines were manually operated and this caused a production bottleneck.”

DYSS Eliminates The Bottleneck

For JCT, there were three key issues. Firstly, its staff operating the existing board and vinyl cutters couldn’t keep pace with the fast throughput from the printing machines, which caused a bottleneck and extended project lead-times. Secondly, the existing cutting tables couldn’t cut precision profiles and forms. This resulted in either the highly skilled staff taking more time to cut simple profiles, or the company just having to turn work away or subcontract it out. Finally, JCT was limited by the materials it could cut. For example, E-Flute Board, Foamex and Corex beyond 5mm thick were impossible to cut by hand whilst retaining edge quality whereas materials such as Di-Bond, acrylic, wood and PVC were a non-starter.

Audi Print For Goodwood Festival of Speed Cut on DYSS

The company was fully aware of its limitations and the bottlenecks being created on the shop floor, so Mr Turner investigated the market. As Mr Turner continues: “We knew what we were looking for and after extensive investigation, the DYSS X7 ticked all the boxes for our business. As soon as we installed the machine, the benefits just kept stacking up.”

An example of the immediate impact the DYSS has had at JCT can be noted on a Prêt-A-Manger poster project that is printed from a 50m long roll. Previously, this would have taken over 2 hours to cut by hand. It is now done on the DYSS in less than 30 minutes. This is partially down to the rollers on the DYSS X7 that makes set-up and cutting more precise and faster to process. With dozens of similar examples, the instant impact of the DYSS enabled JCT to relocate an employee from full time manual cutting to only using the DYSS for a few hours a day with significantly improved productivity. With a bed capacity of 1700mm by 3400mm, the DYSS X7 1630C fully complements the 1600 by 3200mm print capacity at the Ringwood company.

As Mr Turner continues: “What used to be a production bottleneck is now a complete role reversal. We installed a large Screen digital printer at the same time as the DYSS and another shortly after. The two new printers would have eventually made hand-cutting a full time job for two people. However, the DYSS is so fast and precise, it can take everything our printers throw at it. In fact, it can be cutting within minutes of jobs being printed, which now means our printers struggle to keep pace with the DYSS. With our rate of growth, alleviating bottlenecks and improving lead-times is a huge advantage.”

Already Winning New Business With DYSS

With 10 staff in-house and another 10 staff continually on the road installing projects, JCT sees projects from concept through to final installation. This ‘all encompassing’ printing and fitting service is a factor behind its continued success in the retail, restaurant, coffee shop, shopping centre and shopping mall advertising and POS sign and display graphic sectors. However, turnaround times are a key factor for JCT – and here the DYSS has really supported the business.

For the recent Goodwood ‘Festival of Speed’, JCT was involved in large projects to print and apply graphics to stands and buildings for Ferrari and Audi. For Audi, the event was part of its promotion of the newly launched RS3 car. Commenting upon this, Mr Turner says: “It was an extremely prestigious project and one that demanded a fast turnaround service. Our team worked 24 hours a day to complete the project and without the DYSS, it wouldn’t have been possible. We are making a 10 fold saving in cutting times.”

This may well be a bold statement, but on another recent project to produce Pizza Hut promotional magnets, the sheets were cut in 4 minutes as opposed to 3.5 hours by hand – instantly quantifying the 10 fold saving.

Selection of JCT Jobs on DYSS X7

DYSS Opens Doors To New Markets

The addition of the DYSS now enables JCT to cut Di-Bond, Acrylic, PVC, E-Flute corrugated board, Foamex, Corex and even wood in thicknesses beyond 15mm. This wasn’t previously possible and work above 5mm in most materials would have been subbed out. Unfortunately, this had lead-time and cost constraints that would have restricted the growth of the business. As Mr Turner continues: “We now have the confidence to pitch for any type of work regardless of material or the complexity of the shapes of each job. The DYSS can handle everything we throw at it. It is now down to us to sell the benefits of the DYSS to customers. So far, many of our customers are overawed by the capability of the machine – as the possibilities are almost endless.”

What It Can Do?

With such bold statements, printers and sign-makers may be wondering what the potential of the machine actually is. At JCT, the company specified the SuperHead’ machine with three tooling stations that can accommodate kiss-cut tools, routing, knife, creasing and pen tools. For JCT, the DYSS delivers the ability to cut through thick or rigid materials with the powerful routing tool or alternately use the high speed oscillating and static knives to carve through corrugated and Foamex boards. The Kiss Cut Tool is used to cut finer detailed work on lighter materials, making hand-trimming of posters, pull-up roller banners, PVC banners, and decals a thing of the past.”

The DYSS works in synergy with the KASEMAKE CAD suite that has thousands of pre-prepared templates for boxes, folders and display units. At JCT, this innovative software and the creasing/folding tools have enabled the company to supply projects such as leaflet holders that wouldn’t have previously been possible.

As Mr Turner concludes: “Our customers are delighted with our print and finish quality and our ability to complete projects in-house with the DYSS. We are now taking on more diverse work from existing customers and it is down to us to sell the benefits of the DYSS to existing and new customers.”

For more information and to see how a DYSS can eliminate bottlenecks in your business call us on +44 (0) 1606 863344 or visit our website.

As a company that has invested over £750k in the last 12 months, PS2 Print Ltd has developed from a repro print and design business to a company that can fulfil virtually all print demands. Since its inception in 1995, the Runcorn based company has rapidly evolved with its latest diversification being to enter the large format print sector.
The entry into large format work over the last five years has grown significantly for PS2 Print and to support this growth the company acquired an OCE Arizona 8’ by 4’ flatbed UV printer in January that was followed by a DYSS X7 2616C, 8’ by 4’ cutting table from AG/CAD in April. Commenting upon the acquisitions, Company Director Mr Simon Langford said: “We were doing our large format printing such as reel to reel, exhibition displays, external graphics and POS printing on roll fed machines, which wasn’t always cost effective or efficient. The introduction of the OCE flatbed made us more cost effective, competitive and has opened new doors for the business. However, as a company that is always looking to develop new markets, the DYSS X7 was the next natural step for us.”Mr Langford studied the market and visited the cutting table manufacturers at the Sign UK show. “DYSS wasn’t a name that was initially on my radar, but as soon as I had a demo of the machine and the software, I was sold on the complete package. The machine was excellent, the KaseMake software was better than the alternate packages and the technical expertise and support has been remarkable. The demo showed how the software adds value to our business by giving us the capability to go to the market with on-screen demos of parts that can be presented in a retail environment. It was the expertise of the team doing the demo that really sold me on the package.”

The DYSS cutting table has brought new work into the business by enabling the company to offer superior customer presentations through the KaseMake software that are backed up by the capabilities of the DYSS X7 2616C. As Mr Langford continues: “The DYSS is used daily and has been producing jigsaws, boxes, counter top displays and cut out people for exhibitions – all jobs we couldn’t previously do. It also allows us to trial new products and do in-store development work, thereby enlarging our customer base and bringing more work in from existing customers.”
“Furthermore, in a cost competitive environment, the DYSS has significantly reduced the cost of many jobs, making us more competitive and more profitable whilst offering the customer far more. For example, many jobs on the DYSS come direct from our roll fed printers and one regular batch of 100 banners used to take the finishing department two days to cut out by hand, however this is now done on the cutting table in only 4 hours.”
Whilst many of the company’s large print runs are cut on a Heidelberg Cylinder, the DYSS has created remarkable efficiencies on its smaller print runs, especially complex boxes and shapes. Recently the company produced 50 presentation folders and 100 bespoke cubes that were printed on the OCE and transferred straight to the DYSS. The boxboard cubes were creased and cut out on the DYSS and by doing this, PS2 reduced the cost of the job by a significant amount.The DYSS X7 incorporates three cutting heads that can accommodate routers, knives, creasing tools and kiss cut tools that can be programmed for each job and material type to simplify operation for the end user. Additionally, the easy tool leveling system calibrates tool height offsets automatically to reduce the operator input. This system works in synergy with the K-Cut vision system that records uniform distortions that are commonplace in all print and media jobs and calculates optimised cutting paths to deliver precise cutting and reduced waste, time and again.
Commenting on these features, Mr Langford says: “We have a frequent print run of 200 posters that we couldn’t previously print or cut. The roll fed OCE prints 100 posters overnight and these are then transferred to the DYSS, which also has a roll feeding set-up. This allows us to set the job on the cutting table and cut in one hour as opposed to a full day. The K-Cut vision system automatically calibrates the cutting path and guarantees 100% accuracy on every job, resulting in less mistakes and less wastage. These posters are a job that we wouldn’t have previously taken on, as the labor input wouldn’t have made it cost effective for us to do the job.”
From a profitability perspective, Mr Langford believes the DYSS will have a payback period of 12 months. The 31 employee company was previously sending upwards of £30,000 of work out for subcontract cutting, which has now been brought back in-house. This has improved the processing of the job, the profitability and lead times for PS2, enabling the company to react faster to customer demands.
Supporting this ability to react to customers is the KaseMake software that complements the DYSS cutting table. As Mr Langford continues: “With the KaseMake package we can design and display our products with an in-store format for customers to view. This has enabled us to design and implement POS & POP projects that wouldn’t have previously been possible.”“From a day-to-day perspective, the package has thousands of templates for boxes, folders and all types of shapes that can all be easily manipulated to our exact needs. This has reduced the time required by the design department to deliver a concept to the customer and then through the shop floor to finished product. This software is continually updated to ensure we will always have the most up-to-date package available.”
Highlighting how the DYSS has improved the throughput of work at PS2, Mr Langford concludes: “The complete package has been a revelation for our business. The KaseMake software has improved our design capabilities and lead times as well as our presentations to customers whilst the cutting table has opened up markets beyond our scope. Not only can we cut, crease and bend forms previously beyond our remit, we can also cut acrylic, Di-Bond, box board, Foamex and other materials in thicknesses beyond 10mm that we couldn’t have accurately cut by hand. This has improved our quality, consistency, accuracy and above all lead-times. We are delighted with the DYSS and OCE combination and we are destined to expand our large format business considerably with the combination.” To see how a DYSS X7 can benefit your company contact us for a demonstration on:
01606 863344
info@dyss-uk.comhttp://www.dyss-uk.com